How to avoid clothes moths: live in the east Midlands

Survey suggests pest problem is worst in south-east England, and in flats and pre-1950s housing

Got a lovely collection of cashmere sweaters you don't want devoured by moths? Then maybe you should move to a new-build house in the east Midlands. That, you see, is the type of dwelling and region least likely to be tormented by the pesky insects, according to a new study by English Heritage at least.

English Heritage conservators have been monitoring the remorseless rise in moth numbers, blamed on a string of exceptionally mild winters - although the survey ended before the spectacularly bitter weather of last winter - and last year invited visitors to their properties to help by collecting free moth traps and reporting their haul.